Forward struggled after leaving Mavs, has found his niche with Miami

12:22 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 7, 2006

By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News

Antoine Walker is a changed man.

The veteran forward has a reputation of a talented player who plays multiple positions. Yet, he also was considered difficult to deal with.

But now, a more mature Walker, 29, is ready to win his first NBA Finals ring as a member of the Miami Heat.

Walker played the 2003-04 season in Dallas and averaged 14 points, then a career low. He was the point forward in ex-coach Don Nelson's system, counted upon to run the offense with his ball-handling skills and shooting.

It didn't work.

Walker complained about playing time and, once the season ended, he was placed on the expansion list and told he wouldn't be a starter. Not even a sixth man.

"I asked to get out of Dallas," Walker said. "It was a contract year and me, Antawn Jamison and Dirk [Nowitzki] all played the same position. I asked if they would move me over to a better situation."

Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson said the Walker experiment was about timing. The Mavs wanted Walker, Jamison and Nowitzki in the frontcourt together.

Nelson said the obstacle was beating the Spurs and handling center Tim Duncan. Dallas couldn't do it with Walker, Jamison and Nowitzki playing center.

"There was a method behind the madness," Nelson said. "It was a mismatch nightmare and it didn't take. Instead of sour grapes at the end of the year, we tried to get through it."

When Walker wasn't picked up in the expansion draft, the Mavericks dealt him and Tony Delk to Atlanta for Jason Terry, Alan Henderson and a future first-round pick.

"We told him if he wasn't happy, he could request a trade and we would do all we could to help him out," owner Mark Cuban said by e-mail. "He did. We did. 'Walk' was first class every step of the way, and I wanted to keep my word to him."

Once in Atlanta, Walker tried to fit in, much like he did in Dallas, and failed. He averaged 20.4 points over 53 games for the Hawks before he was traded to Boston, where he averaged 16.3 points in 24 games.

In the summer of 2005, Walker was traded again, this time to Miami in a five-team, 13-player deal, the largest in NBA history.

With Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, Walker found himself not fitting in again. He established career lows for games started (19) and points per game (12.2).

"I had to accept being a role player and realizing 75 percent of our offense is going through Shaq and Dwyane," Walker said. "I'm used to getting 17 or 18 shots a night. Here, you may get five one night, you may get 10, or you may get 18 shots. You just have to play your role when called."

This time, Walker has become a player that Heat coach Pat Riley depends on, as shown by his 17 playoff starts.

"He's a great guy," Riley said. "He's been a hard worker all year. What he used to say on the court to the opponents or to the opposing bench or whatever, I don't know. Here, he's been great to work with."

Staff Writer Chip Brown in Miami contributed to this report.

E-mail cwatkins@dallasnews.com

After starting 19 games during the regular season, Antoine Walker has blossomed in the playoffs, starting 17 games for the Miami Heat: